Susan Kistler here, AEA’s Executive Director. It’s Saturday, March 12, 2010 and I have a question. How is your conference proposal coming for Evaluation 2011? I can’t wait to see everyone in November in Anaheim!
Hot Tip: Go ahead, submit a proposal. It is a great way to share what you have learned about evaluation planning, data collection methods, reporting, evaluation use, working with stakeholders, values and valuing, the theoretical underpinnings of the field, and tools and techniques. The key is to focus on evaluation, evaluation methodologies, evaluation theories, or running your evaluation business, not on evaluation findings. If you are reporting on findings, use them as context, as evidence of success (or failure) of the evaluation itself, as the basis of an exploration of evaluation use – but not as the primary focus of your proposed presentation.
Hot Tip: You do not need to be an AEA member to submit a conference proposal.
Hot Tip: Having a proposal on the Evaluation 2011 program can help you to build your professional network. You’ll meet attendees at your session with an interest in your area and you’ll find that even non-attendees use the searchable conference program as a type of directory to identify colleagues working on shared issues.
Hot Tip: Friday, March 18, 2011 – this coming Friday – is the proposal submission deadline. While we have been accepting proposals since mid-January, we’ll likely receive over 900 proposals, out of the roughly 1200 total, on Friday. A staff person scans each proposal individually for completeness and sends a confirmation of receipt. Given the calls and emails for assistance on Friday, it is a very busy day. If you submit your proposal even one day early, you’re much more likely to get a rapid confirmation, immediate assistance, and our eternal thanks!
Hot Tip: There is competitively awarded travel assistance available for full-time students http://www.eval.org/eval2011/11students.htm and colleagues working in developing countries or countries in transition http://www.eval.org/eval2011/11international.htm.
Hot Tip: Go to http://www.eval.org/eval2011/default.asp to learn more about the conference and submit a proposal before the Friday, March 18, deadline.
Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org. aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators.